Integrating Generative AI into Curriculum Planning: A Backward Design Approach

As a curriculum specialist at heart, thinking about quality teaching and planning is something I have always done regularly. Throughout my career, I've studied and practiced many ways to enhance curriculum development and instruction. I took courses from Grant Wiggins, participated in professional development, and worked as a curriculum coach with many teachers. I recently wrote an article titled AI in Education: Crafting Curricula for Tomorrow's Innovators in February 2024. In that piece, I focused on the importance of starting with the end goals in mind, making sure every step moves students closer to mastering the critical skills they need for success. You can read more about this in my article here.

Grant Wiggins' Understanding by Design (UbD) emphasizes that clear learning objectives and critical thinking should be at the heart of any curriculum. When we focus on what we want students to learn, we ensure that our facilitation is purposeful and aligned with these goals. UbD doesn't necessarily require that the entire assessment be designed before the lesson, but it does stress the importance of thinking about the assessment early in the process. When teachers work through the UbD process in schools, they often work with colleagues or administrators to enhance their curriculum, but this is where AI can play a transformative role.

AI can assist teachers in reflecting on these critical questions posed in the UbD process and refine their assessments to better align with their instructional goals. Rather than solely relying on administrators or colleagues for help, a "co-intelligent" use with AI can help educators focus on how and why they measure learning. This process of collaboration can assist in designing lessons/assessments that support students' mastery rather than just fulfilling testing requirements. AI becomes your first-stop learning partner.

This theory is further clarified in this recent study titled Backwards Planning with Generative AI: Case Study Evidence from US K12 Teachers by Samantha Keppler and colleagues sheds light on how generative AI is being used by teachers in their planning. The study reveals some interesting findings:

1. Divergence in Use: By spring 2024, teachers had split into three distinct groups based on their use of generative AI:
2. Initial Novice Use: At the beginning of the 2023–2024 school year, all teachers were novice users of generative AI. They had received standardized exposure to tools like ChatGPT but had not yet integrated them into their teaching practices.
3. Shift in Approach: Some teachers began using AI with specific learning objectives in mind, leveraging it for brainstorming and planning rather than just material generation.
4. Competing Demands: Teachers faced competing demands on their time and energy, affecting their willingness and ability to integrate generative AI into their routines.
5. Concerns About Ethical Use: Ethical considerations, such as concerns about cheating and the reliability of AI-generated content, influenced how teachers engaged with AI.
6. Human Response to AI Capabilities: The study identified two primary capabilities of generative AI: output generation (like quizzes) and input generation (ideas for teaching plans). Teachers who utilized AI for input reported confidence gains in their planning.
7. Contextual Factors Influencing Use: Classroom dynamics, subject area, and individual experiences influenced how teachers used generative AI. For instance, teachers in subjects prone to student misuse of AI were more reluctant to engage with the tools themselves.
8. Concerns About Misalignment with Backward Planning: Some educators worried that using generative AI to create materials could lead to a misalignment with backward planning principles, potentially encouraging activity creation without ensuring alignment with desired learning outcomes.
9. Emerging Theory of Use: The study proposes an emerging theory of generative AI use within backward planning, emphasizing the importance of both planning and execution.

Implications for Practice

This study shows that using generative AI as a co-intelligent partner rather than just an output machine is essential. Teachers who engage AI in the ideation phase, aligning it with specific learning objectives, gain the most in terms of productivity and instructional quality.

For educational leaders and curriculum developers, the message is clear: integrating AI into teaching workflows should be done thoughtfully, with a focus on enhancing, rather than replacing, the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are at the core of effective education.

By embracing this approach, our curriculum designs can better align with the needs of today’s learners, equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the future.